


Metabolism

by vskywalker



Series: Metabolism [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:55:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vskywalker/pseuds/vskywalker
Summary: It's a Sentinel and Guide story. Sherlock and John are in a world that in the gap of the decline of Sentinel-Guide system and the rise of the revival of rational nature. They are facing life-threaten challenges from the one who wants to get back the power of the Sentinels and the one who just wants to set a fire on the society.
Relationships: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Series: Metabolism [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188950
Kudos: 3





	Metabolism

**Author's Note:**

> Some settings:  
> The Sentinels and Guides don't give out pheromone, which means they can only tell each other spiritually.  
> The Sentinels and Guides can feel each other's mind-scope, which is more like a garden that have shield around it. They can tell a Sentinel or a Guide, but they can't recognize everyone personally.  
> There is no inhibitor for both Sentinel and Guide. Everyone, including mutes, can ues the Guide Doses to calm down, which is extracted from the blood of Guide. The Sentinel Doses is rare and dangerous and is banned in most countries.

_Captain John Watson ushered in his awakening at the age of 31 and became a male Guide at the bottom of society._

The desert in Afghanistan can certainly be at the list of 'The worst place on the earth' among the British Army, cause this place is full of blazing sun and sand storm and other extreme weather they could't encounter in the motherland. Fortunately, after a lasting of 106°F in the past week, it finally calm down to 95°F, enough for the soldiers to have some fun in the town. In contrast to the fluttering laughter out of the army camp, there is a pathetic patsy lying on the bed, forbidden to catching a breath both by his carer and his condition.

John Watson lied on the bed with headache caused by the din in his head, writhing all over the bed in a sweat, which made the rough sheets under him look like thorns. He used to be a gentle man and once praised the shading performance of the tent, but now with the shining of the sunshine, he just have the impulse to shoot the damn sun down. 

"Good afternoon, Dr. Watson. How's your feeling today?"Here came in Harry, the male nurse in the camp. He'd always been doing his job conscientiously, and took all the responsibility since John's illness. John was about to make a report for rewarding this young man as soon as he recovers.

"Good afternoon, Harry. I feel much better now. No amaurosis, a little headache. Thank you for taking care of those bros."John tried not to leak out the weakness.

"It's my duty."A shy smile appeard on the young man's face, "Actually there was not much thing I need to do. They may think that a born Guide is better than the manufactured Guide pills, so I just spent several afternoons comforting them."

The corrupt customs of forbiding Guides to appeare in the public has been completely abandoned in the 21st century, and the out-dated Sentinel-Guide System based on the instinct gradually gave its way to the revival of rational nature. There is no more privileges for the Sentinels because everyone can be a Sentinel--the developed technology is willing to equip the mutes with average physical fitness to gain the same strong ability as the Sentinel and Guide. In a word, their roles can be repalced by the science products. At the same time, the Guide gradually got rid of their unfair fate of becoming the appendages of Sentinels. They are no longer hidden by the Sentinels or forced to spend most of their lives in the "Tower". They are marching into the society, finding their place and winning all the rights back that they couldn't enjoy in the Victorian era. The "Tower" is abolished and replaced by the "Office of Sentinel and Guide Related Affairs" (OSGRA), which is established by the state to manage all the Sentinels and Guides throughout the country. And each city has "Association of Sentinel and Guide" (ASG) to offer help. In a conclusion, the Sentinel and Guide have become the second identities nowadays.

However, the fact didn't live up to their expactaions. Although the United Kingdom has banned discrimination related to Guide, the sterotype among the society always leads to bias. The Sentinel children get more attention in school and more opportunities in society as well as in marriage; on the contrary, the Guide children are usually facing campus bullying, and few girls can resist pressure from their family to make up a family with male Guide when they become adults. Under such external conditions, the Guides have no choice but to be with Sentinels who have the instinct to protect the Guides. Most of the Sentinels are working for the army and police, and so do the Guides; the medical system open its gate for Guides because of their talent of comforting; the education system is the most conservative since no one wants their kids to be taught by these "shamless whore".

That's why Harry joined the army: he aimed to be a teacher before he woke up to be a Guide when he was 12, and he changed to be a nurse after taken the bias to the male Guides into consideration. John likes him from bottom of his heart and he believes others are the same. It's nothing to do with his second identity. His nursing skills and gentle nature earns him the respect. Of course, his similar name to John's elder sister Harriet is also the reason of John's fondness. He wants to find the missing love between he and Harriet on Harry.

John's sister Harriet showed signs of aggression when she was young, which made it inevitable for him to have conflicts with her. Most of the time, her over masculine behavior and thought tore them apart, and the connection between them has broke since the pass-away of their parents. He didn't inform her when he joined the army. At the age of 16, Harriet woke up to be a Sentinel. The family was proud of owning a rare female Sentinel, but the second identity also caused trouble for her marriage. Even the Sentinel or Guide is no longer the main identity recognition, most families still take it into consideration. Most Sentinels will choose mute as their spouse because of the rarity of Guide; most Guide would combine with Sentinels; few men have the courage to marry a female Sentinel. Fortunately, Harriet will give no men the opportunity; she is even their competitor--Harriet is a homosexual. In the ordinary family, it might make parents anxious for a while, but in Harriet's case, it seems to be the best solution.

"Dr. Watson, you have been sick since last week. We have done all the tests we could for pathogenic microorganisms, but we didn't find them. We also checked your tumor markers and found nothing. What else do you think might be the cause?" Harry's voice interrupted John's thoughts. He dragged a chair to the bedside, wipped sweat off John's forehead and asked questions in the most reassuring tone.

John shook his head. As a doctor, he was ashamed of not being able to understand his own illness, but it's better to confess than a pretense.

"Ummm, Dr. Watson, what I am going to say is not mean to offend you. In fact, I saw the similar symptom in many expectant Guides. If we can't find other reason, we'd better give it a chance..." John could tell that Harry is carefully choosing his words because they never thought that he was on the awakening. Generally speaking, the awakening of Sentinels and Guides is usually completed before the age of 20. The awakening after the age of 20 is not unprecedented, but it is by no means a commonplace. Sentinels' awakening, usually takes about a week, is a sudden feeling of over-load senses and then when they can control themselves, the prograss is completed. It's more tragic for Guides, usually a week of struggling to avoid being swept away by the torrent of emotion from everyone around. Once they can percept other Sentinels' feeling,or spirit, the whole prograss is completed.

John gently pointed out the mistake in Harry's words. "Harry, if I wake up now and become a Guide, then you should be able to feel it." Although there is no scientific research declaring a reasonable explanation, the reason why Sentry and Guide can become a relatively independent system is that they have a special telepathic connection. They can't tell who it is through it, but they can distinguish the same kind from the mute. 

"But I'm really worried about you." Harry looked at John anxiously with his big light eyes. "I really don't feel that you have the tendency to wake up as a Guide now, but we can't rule out any possibility. We can draw some blood to do Sentinel-Guide examination. If we can rule out this possibility, we can find another way. If it doesn't work, we can send you back to homeland."

"All right." John didn't really want to express his opinion on this, and he didn't want to hurt the young man who is worrying for him genuinely. So he surrenderd.

"If Bob is willing to do me a favor, it will turn out at tomorrow noon." Harry said happily.

"Bob has no resistence to you. He would work all night if you promise to date with him next time." Bob is in charge of the laboratory examination in John's medical team. He is also a single Sentinel who is obsessed with Harry. Hearing the witty words, Harry giggled, quickly put away the blood bottle, took away the coat that John had thrown on the bedside, and then left the tent.

Although Harry's footsteps were drifting away, John still couldn't calm down, thinking about his awakening as a Guide at the age of 31. John was ashamed now because he lied to Harry. Although John didn't know why Harry and other Guides or Sentinels can't feel him, but he can clearly tell them: Harry is walking away, passing by the two Sentinels who are joking (their emotions are improving because of Harry's approach), saying a few words to a Guide, then greeted a Sentry and a Guide, and then going straight to a Sentinel--he must be Bob; Bob's mood fluctuated with excitement , Harry's mood also appeared a small peak, it must be that they were flirting, then Harry left, but Bob was still high, probably because his plan to ask Harry to go out on the next time was successful. 

John's heart sank to the bottom: his awakening to be a Guide seemed to be a certainty. Although there are many Guides in the army, most of them are doing civilian work in the rear. Awakening to become a Guide means that he will definitely face all kinds of bias on male Guides in his life. After all, male Guides were considered sinners who tempted the Sentinel in the Victorian era when homosexuality was prohibited. The bonding heat is hard to resist even for the most determined Sentinel; even now it is believed that male Guides are at the lowest level in society. After becoming a Guide, John will definitely face all kinds of Sentinel's intentional or unintentional pursuits. Although his history of dating covers women and men, and in all fairness, his appearance and his own conditions are all awarded points, imagines of being followed by a group of Sentinel still made John shudder. In fact, John has worked very hard to prevent himself from being discovered, but Harry, a smart young man, is still a variable in his plan. It seems that John will be pulled out of comfort zone by his testing report.

TBC

**Author's Note:**

> I am so nerves to public this work! I am not an English-native speaker and I am not sure whether I did a good job at translation. Please let me know if you have any thoughts.


End file.
